A14350:587
The Common Places
The common places of the most famous and renowned divine Doctor Peter Martyr divided into four principal parts: with a large addition of many theological and necessary discourses, some never extant before. Translated and partly gathered by Anthony Marten, one of the sewers of her Majesties most honourable chamber.The common places of the most famous and renowmed diuine Doctor Peter Martyr diuided into foure principall parts: with a large addition of manie theologicall and necessarie discourses, some neuer extant before. Translated and partlie gathered by Anthonie Marten, one of the sewers of hir Maiesties most honourable chamber.
Imprinted at London : In Pater noster Rowe, by Henry Denham and Henry Middleton at the costs and charges of Henry Denham, Thomas Chard, William Broome, and Andrew Maunsell, 1583Imprinted at London : In Pater noster Rovve, by Henry Denham and Henry Middleton at the costs and charges of Henrie Denham, Thomas Chard, VVilliam Broome, and Andrew Maunsell, 1583
No title page in the transcription: set from the catalogue record.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
135 Of the greatness and stature of them, we may partly conjecture, and partly we have the same expressly described. The conjectures be, that Goliath had a coat of male, which weighed fifty thousand sickles of brass. 2The haft of his spear was like a weavers beam, and the iron spear had weighed six hundred sickles of iron. We also conjecture of the exceeding great stature of Og the king of Bashan, 3by his bed, which being of iron, was of ten cubits long. Also, the Israelites being compared with Anachis, 4seemed to be but grasshoppers: these things may be a token unto us, of what greatness these men were. 5But the greatness of Goliath is properly and distinctly set forth in the book of Samuel: for it is said there, that he was of six cubits and a hand-breadth high: and a cubit, if we follow the measure of the Greeks, is two foot; but according to the account of the Latins, 6one foot and a half. Some allege this to be the cause of the difference; that the measure may be sometimes extended from the elbow to the hand, sometime closed together, and sometime open & stretched forth. This is as much as I could gather of the stature of giants out of the holy scripture. 7But among the Ethnics we read of much more wonderful things, such as men can hardly be persuaded to give credit unto. For Pliny writeth in his seventh book, that in Candy there fell down a hill, and that there was found a mans body of six and forty cubits long, which some thought to be the body of Orion, some of Otho. Also it is written, that the body of Orestes, being digged up, by the commandment of an oracle, was of 7. cubits. That which Berosus affirmeth of Adam, and of Seth his son, & of Noah & his sons, that they were all giants, seeing it is without scripture, it may be rejected. Philostratus saith in his Heroics, that he saw a certain dead carcass of a giant of thirty cubits long, another of two and twenty, and another of twelve.